Heading to Nebraska for the first time in June.\n\nMy first questions are about conditions in the wet, especially for the wet year(s) finishers.\n\nDoes the mud tend to be sticky or sloppy?\n\nWhat tire types worked for you? How much fork/frame clearance did you have?\n\nAny general event tips?
I've finished two dry Odins. The wet year I made it to the halfway point. All three years I ran Resist Nomads in 700 x 40. The wet year I was on a frame that had clearance for much bigger tires and was single speed which helped.
The roads closer to the towns have enough road base in them that they don't get too muddy. In the dry years they seem to hold together pretty well on the flatter sections. On some of the steeper roads the loose gravel would tend to drift into the apex of corners. If you didn't stay wide you'd get bogged down and sucked into the corners.
Some of B roads have some rock and cobble in them, others in the drainages are mostly silt. If it's really wet they're slick. If they're slightly wet they can be sticky. If it's dry the silt can turn to several inches of loose powder. Since they're in drainages you'll usually encounter them with some speed. Some areas have cattle and the roads can be pockmarked with hoofprints.
I don't think you need much for knobs. I would lean a little on the floatation side. Sealant is a must because of goatheads.
I think the #1 tip is that the event is hillier than you expect it to be. #2 is that at some point you'll be fighting the wind so having a mental game plan to not let it ruin you helps.
Well, I have had to withdraw from Odin's. My transportation plans collapsed and I just can not get there. Maybe next year.
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\nGood ride to all. I may go on a mountainous bikepack trip that weekend.
